Frans Hals earned his reputation with lifelike depictions and a revolutionary technique, characterised by unusually free and powerful brushwork. Together with Rembrandt, he is rightly considered the most important portraitist of the Dutch Golden Age. The gentleman´s attire – of which the collar was undoubtedly the most ‘trendy’ element – allows us to date the picture to around 1637-40. It was in this period that Hals reached the height of his fame, prospering both artistically and financially.